God gave us complete freedom so we can come to him out of true love should we desire to do so or even beleive.

If God forced or to only be able to do good we would be like robots with no freedom. God gave us ultimate freedom to choose things so we would not just be pre-programed robots.

Just because something exists does not mean it is a good thing, we are also part of nature and everything we make is from nature (guns bombs).

I do not want my surgeon, arline pilot etc high while my life is in their hands. Opium is also from nature? Regards

Vanessa

It may sound like a good idea to help teens of to day. If we are going to help any one we first have to be sure that we have the right source. This may sound a little out of the way for some, but we have found that Jesus Christ is the answer for the world to day, yet people have turned to their own way rather than hear the truth. You may win some and lose some. Until the Lord came into our lives we were just spinning our wheels so to speak. What we thought was life we found to be death as the scripture in Proverbs 16:25 says: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Also in Psalms 1:1 says Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
And if that is not enough, the Lord continues in Psalm 33:8-12 (KJV)
8 “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Yet how many call one another awesome which belongs to God himself. Isaiah 42:8 (KJV)
8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
9 “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
10 “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.”
11 “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”
12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

What the Governments and people of United States and Canada did is remove God from their presence and the schools and now we wonder why we have chaos and our children are getting worse and worse and people looking for help in the wrong places. We don’t need more Oprahs. We need the Lord Jesus who has all the answers for the World to-day.
I Thessalonians 5:9-10 (KJV)
9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”
10 “Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” Mark 1:14-15 (KJV)
14 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,”
15 “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
I will give you some more answers from the word of God which is able to make you wise and give God all the glory for it.
II Timothy 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;”
15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Finally one more that should make you want more of God in your life through the Bible to give answers to not only teens but to all mankind.
John 8:31-32 (KJV)
31 “Then said Jesus to those Jews {and Gentiles} which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”
32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Isn’t this what you are really looking for.
To God be all the Glory great things he had done so loved he the world that he gave us His Son, who yeilded His life an atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may go in.
This commission have we from Him. As he says in His word, freely, freely ye have received freely, freely give, go in my name and because you believe others will know that I live. He lives in our heart.

I think that because it is such a huge issue and the opinions vary so much from laid back parents to stoner teens to strict teachers to police officers that having a variety of resources and methods of communications for teens and parents is super important.

Please keep reading and commenting!

Vanessa

PS I like your name = )

I’m concerned about the level of acceptance in film, TV and magazines that kids can’t help but pick up on. In perusing a magazine rack, I discovered High Times is now competing with four other marijuana culture publications; Cannabis Culture and Heads, to name a couple. I don’t know of any other drug receiving this kind of support and acceptance. Imagine if there existed a publication called Heroin Chic or The Cocaine Chronicle.

Learning about the pot culture is a great suggestion. Pot is now many times stronger then it was in the 60′s and 70′s, and while it can still act as a gateway drug, it’s also strong enough by itself for some to fall into a life of addiction with pot being the only drug they use. Parents should be aware of what’s at stake and be ready to cope with the potential for full blown addiction.

Unfortunately, pot is the most difficult drug to council against. While stronger drugs can slam users into the pavement, consequences accompanying the pot user can be subtle and slow in coming. Some teens may feel completely functional in their pot use and perhaps get through school with little or no problems; but all users run the risk of being cooked like the frog placed in warm water over a burner that slowly increases in temperature.

There are lots of things teens can do in place of getting high, but as you pointed out, if a teen wants to get high they’ll most likely find a way. The advice for a teen to, Just say, No, is very weak by itself. I like the idea of putting options out there such as a substance-free party. With awareness of all the healthy choices in life teens might adopt a completely different mantra . . . .
Just say, YES! . . . to life.

Thanks,

Tad